Hospital Systems Receive Favorable Ruling Over Meal Breaks Policy

A recent ruling affects a class action lawsuit that had been filed against two of Pittsburgh’s major hospitals, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. It was alleged in the Complaint that the hospitals automatically deducted a half-hour from an employee’s time records even when the employee worked through a meal break, resulting in the employee not being compensated for all hours worked. But the court ruled in the case that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that the hospital companies had a policy of not paying employees who worked through their meal breaks. As a result of the ruling, any employees who want to pursue their claims will have to do so by filing their own individual lawsuits, rather than filing as a group.